You Shook Me All Night Long (Scorned Lovers Book 1)

by Simone Harlow

  “Let’s pretend for my ego’s sake that didn’t happen.”

  “I didn’t hear a thing.” She took his hand and led him to the bed. “Do you want me naked or in my chemise?”

  “Naked,” he croaked. Why couldn’t he sound like a real man?

  She took a step back, untied her peach robe, and slid it from her shoulders letting it fall at her feet. Then she hooked her fingers in the straps of her nightgown and pulled them down slowly, letting the silky material slide down her body. Her pearly white skin was flushed pink and her nipples were already hard and cherry red. Travis had to fight the urge to take one of the rosy peaks in his mouth. He had to remind himself that this was her show. She took his hand in hers and led him to the bed.

  Charlotte slid her hands into his boxers and pulled them down his legs. His already hard cock sprang out of the navy blue material. He liked the way the silk felt against his legs.

  “Please have a seat.”

  Did she have any idea how sexy her manners were? He loved the fact that she was such a lady in the living room and she was turning out to be a real freak in the bedroom.

  Charlotte got on her knees right in front of him. She continued to look up at him as she moved her hands up from his ankles to his knees. She gripped the underside of his knees and pulled his legs apart. His heart thudded in a hurried beat. Heat engulfed him as she settled herself between his legs. She leaned over and kissed him on his knee, her hair brushing over his skin. When did his knee become an erogenous zone? She leaned over and kissed his other knee. Slowly she ran her hands up and down his legs, letting her nails trail over his skin. He wanted to lie back, but not as much as he wanted to watch. Travis shifted position and sat on his hands, because he wanted to grab her hair and force her mouth on his cock. He was so ready to come. He was afraid he might embarrass himself. Slowly Charlotte worked her lips over his skin. Travis was struck by the fact that this was the most romantic blow job he’d ever gotten. Her softness, and the way she took her time, had elevated this from a mere sexual act to something he hadn’t experienced in years. Her lips traced up his stomach to his chest, nibbling, kissing, and stroking with such tenderness he about lost his mind. He wanted her to go on; he wanted her to put his cock in her mouth. He was senseless. Gently, she bit his nipple and he gasped. He closed his eyes as her mouth made its way to his other nipple and bit down on the hard tip. He was ready to beg her to take him in her mouth, he was so hard now, he was throbbing with need. His body shuddered and she laughed.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m dying here.”

  She laughed again. “Good, now you know how I feel.”

  Torture me some more, he thought.

  Her mouth descended and her tongue teased his belly button.

  Travis fisted the bedspread as he leaned back still not trusting himself to touch her.

  She lifted her head and stared at him. “You taste wonderful.”

  He couldn’t speak and just nodded. He looked at the tip of his cock, the purplish head already dripping with pre-cum. Please put your mouth on me, he wanted to beg.

  Her big eyes shined with desire and he felt his heart thudding in his chest. She gave him a shy smile then leaned over and ran the tip of her tongue over the head of his cock. The instant she touched him he groaned. All he wanted to do was grab her head and force her to take all of him, but he didn’t. He started shaking as she slowly worked her mouth over him, taking him a little at a time. Her mouth on his skin was the sweetest agony. He wanted it to last forever; he wanted to come right now. Slowly she eased her mouth down his cock again and again. She used her hands to stroke him, as well as her mouth. The heat was intense as waves of pleasure rolled over him. She massaged his balls with her hands, rolling his flesh between her fingers. The room was silent except for the harsh sounds of his breath. His stomach was quivering. He tried to fight the pleasure, he wanted it to last longer, but he knew that he was seconds from blowing his load as Charlotte sucked his entire cock into her mouth and squeezed his balls. He gave up the fight. A powerful orgasm shook him and he shot his load into her mouth. He groaned and fell back onto the mattress. He tried to catch his breath but couldn’t. After a few minutes he was able to pry open his eyes and stare at her through his eyelashes. “Come here.”

  She got on the bed next to him and stared at him.

  “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready to go again.”

  “Did you enjoy yourself?”

  He rolled on his side and stared at her. He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “You are full of surprises.”

  “Is that good?”

  “God, yes.”

  She leaned over and kissed him.

  He could taste himself on her lips. Their combined taste was the sweetest he’d ever had. When the time came, how was he going to let her go?

  Travis couldn’t sleep. Magnolia was purring in his ear as she lay curled up next to his head. He should be dead asleep by now, but his mind was racing. How is it that this woman had worked her way into his head? Yes, the sex was great, but he’d had great sex before. God knows he’d had partners that had more tricks and were far kinkier then he thought Charlotte could ever be. Here he was lying in a bed holding her in his arms when he hadn’t literally slept with a woman in years. There was something about her that was playing havoc with his head. The big one and the little one. She wasn’t his usual type. She didn’t have a lot of experience, but he couldn’t get enough of her. If he had a brain left in his head he’d kick her out of the bed and out of his life. This was unexplored territory and it scared him. But the desire to be with her far outweighed the fear. So he tightened his hold on her. He couldn’t seem to let go and a part of him was at peace with that. No matter how confused it made him.

  He needed to talk to Andy. Andy had the answer he was hunting for, but Andy wasn’t here. He was dead. Who was he supposed to talk to? Declan? Declan would laugh at him. Gavin would just shrug and be oblivious. Shane would tell him he’s an idiot for letting shit get complicated. Malcolm would be clueless, but at least offer him a shoulder. He was fucked.

  “Travis?”

  “Yeah?”

  She didn’t say anything.

  He raised his head and looked at her, which was kinda stupid since the room was dark. She snuggled closer to him and slid her leg up his. Her weight was comforting and felt right. He liked sleeping with her, but waking up next to her more. What the hell was he going to do? He’d written two songs about her already. Two. He needed to come up with something that the band could use. Two weeks ago, he couldn’t put two words together. Now all he could write about was a woman. The hell of it was that it was some of the best stuff he’d ever done. God help him.

  Chapter Ten

  Charlotte poured herself a cup of coffee just as her bagel popped up. She grabbed one half and put it on the plate and then took the other one. She heard the front door open and close. Someone was done with their playmate. A few seconds later she heard footsteps coming into the kitchen. The fact that one of them was up this early was a rare occurrence.

  “Good morning, Charlotte.”

  She smiled. “Good morning, Declan. Can I fix you a cup of coffee? I have a bagel I don’t mind sharing.”

  He leaned against the counter. “You Southern girls are so nice.”

  She studied him. He was an interesting man. Classically handsome with his styled blond hair and lean muscular body. If he wanted to, he could look like the epitome of a Southern gentleman –– even in the faded jeans and wrinkled white button down shirt. His feet were bare. There were hidden depths in his ocean blue eyes and a vague smirk always present on his firm mouth. After being in the house for a few days, her opinion was that he played at being a jerk. In an odd way, he fascinated her. “Your playmate went nicely this time.”

  “Playmates.”

  Charlotte raised an eyebrow. He always seemed to want her to think badly of him. “Are you trying to shock me?”

  “Did
I?”

  “Declan, why is it important that you shock me?”

  A strange expression passed over his face as if he didn’t understand her question or maybe he couldn’t believe someone asked. “I will have to think about that.”

  “Why do you treat them so badly?” Charlotte poured another cup of coffee and handed it to him.

  “No one has ever asked me that.” He took the cup and cradled it in both hands.

  She’d wanted to ask since she’d seen him discard that groupie the first night she’d been here. “Well?”

  “You’re going to make me answer, aren’t you?” He took a sip of coffee.

  Oh she was going to get her answer, because she suspected he wasn’t as bad as he liked to pretend to be. “Of course.”

  “Because if I’m too nice they will eat me alive.”

  That certainly wasn’t the answer she expected. It seemed too honest for him in a way. “Why would anyone want to do that?”

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Because they want the illusion of being a rock star’s girlfriend.”

  It seemed like a lot of work. Not that Travis wasn’t worth the effort, but then she thought she would have liked him if he were just a regular man. Which he seemed to be anyway. “What is so great about that?”

  He stared at her as if she’d laid an egg. “The fame, the glamour, the perks. There is a lot of exciting baggage associated with the way we live. Groupies want what we are, not who we are as men.”

  Stupid girls. They had no idea what they were missing. Because as she began to know them better, the more she liked them as people. Except Vaughn and Shane. Not because Shane was nasty or mean, but that he tended to avoid her. Hmm, she would have to work on that. “You could be a plumber or a teacher. You can do anything you want to do, but this. Then you could meet a nice woman who just wants you for who you are, fall in love with you and have a good life together.”

  “You don’t understand the life.”

  Now that was where he was wrong, she understood just a little too well. She’d been hunted since she was a girl. “Don’t be too sure.”

  He took a swig of his coffee and set the cup on the granite countertop. He leaned back. “Now it’s your turn. What do you mean by that?”

  Now that he explained it she knew exactly what he was talking about. “I’m an heiress, with what my mother likes to call impeccable bloodlines and staggering social connections. Most men who see me don’t care who I am. They see my money, my status, what I can provide for them, or what they will gain from being seen with me. Don’t get me wrong, they are much more subtle about it and better mannered than your groupies, but I’m a meal ticket, too. And it started well before I was out of diapers. I was put in the right schools, to meet the right kind of children, to find the right kind of husband, so I would produce the right kind of children. Marriages in my social group are rarely about love and companionship, they are alliances between families and fortunes. Like you, I’m a commodity to be possessed, not a person to be loved for who they are. How sad is that?”

  There was brief glimmer of sympathy in his eyes. “It’s hell.”

  It was one of the things she liked best about Travis –– he didn’t seem to care where she came from, he just liked her for her. “Some days. I think it might be harder choosing it. I was born into it. Knowing what I know, I wouldn’t have chosen your life.”

  His chest heaved. “I’ve never heard anyone say that. Most people think my life is easy. Girls, money, and partying –– what’s not to like?”

  She felt as if she’d broken some barrier between them. “My life is busy but fairly easy. You on the other hand have a very complicated life and it has to be emotionally exhausting at times.”

  “There are days.” He dropped his head and let out a long breath.

  She studied him for a moment; for a split second he seemed so broken. “So if you treat groupies like trash, you keep yourself safe from them.”

  “You look different today. Jeans and motorcycle boots.”

  Charlotte smiled and shook her finger at him. “I’m going to let you change the subject, because I do realize I’ve overstepped my bounds. I’m dressed this way because I’m going to garden.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to wear a big floppy hat?”

  That old stereotype. Okay, maybe not so old, she did wear a big floppy hat when she gardened. “Today the foundation is breaking ground on a garden for a women’s shelter today.”

  “Why does a women’s shelter need a garden?”

  Charlotte rolled her eyes. “So the shelter will be more self-sustaining.”

  “Doesn’t the city support women’s shelters?”

  “Because according to my city’s esteemed politicians, protecting women and children from violence is not as important as say, redecorating the mayor’s office. Also the city needs more green space, and a garden is what is called usable green space.”

  He tried to not to look so clueless. “Usable green space?”

  “In case the city floods again, the green space helps soak up the water.”

  He smiled. “A two-fer.”

  My God, she thought, that dazzling smile had to have dropped a legion of panties. She was almost mesmerized by his perfect teeth and firm pouty mouth. He looked like a beautiful fallen angel. Now that was an interesting man. She had done a little checking into his past. Of all them, he was the most broken. She would have to work on that. She liked the man he hid under the layers of swagger and ego. She refocused and got back on track. “Exactly. Would you like to help the cause?”

  For a brief second she wondered what would have happened if she’d met him first. She shook her head. Deep down she knew she certainly wouldn’t be on this adventure.

  Had he just been manipulated? “Donate?” He had. Damn she was good. He didn’t even see it coming.

  She smiled at him. “Of course. It would go a long way in helping you to alleviate some of your bad groupie karma.”

  God knows he had years of that built up. “You reeled me in.”

  Charlotte stepped over and patted his big hand. “Don’t be hard on yourself. I’m a professional.”

  That was the moment he knew. He liked Charlotte. “I didn’t have a chance, did I?”

  “Not a one.”

  Thank God she picked Travis, because… oh hell, he didn’t even want to think about where it would have led if he’d spotted her first. He didn’t know if he should feel sorry for Travis or be jealous of him. “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”

  She put her hand on her hip and flipped her dark hair over her shoulder. “One can only hope.”

  “How did you do it?”

  She leaned forward. “You are much nicer than you want people to know and you do care. I should help you express that desire, it’s the moral thing to do.” She put her finger over her mouth. “And I promise we’ll keep it a secret between the two of us.”

  “No, I’m not. You are the nice one, lady.” He pointed to the back of house. “Let me go get you a check.”

  “And I will make you breakfast. You must be starving after your playdate.”

  “I like you, Charlotte.”

  She gave him a dazzling smile. “Of course you do.”

  Declan took the stairs slowly, trying to figure out what just happened in the kitchen with Charlotte. The last woman he’d been unable to outmaneuver was Cherry O’Brien. Cherry was a bulldozer, but Charlotte was like a stream, she just flowed right by him and he didn’t even notice. He prided himself on his ability not to get played or manipulated. But she did hit him where he lived. If only his mother had the courage to leave his father when he started in on her, things might have been different. But she didn’t and his father’s abuse made him the man he was today, for better or worse.

  “Hey, what are you doing up this early?”

  He turned at the sound of Malcolm’s voice. “I’m donating money for usable green space.”

  He was slipping a Sex Pistols t-sh
irt over his head. “What is usable green space?”

  Declan shrugged. “Fuck if I know.

  Malcolm ran a hand over his short black hair. “Then why are you donating money for it?”

  Because Charlotte had asked him to help her. Doing so made him feel good. “It was like watching a cobra dance, you just can’t look away even though you know it’s going to bite you right in the face.”

  “What the hell are you babbling about it?” Malcolm put his hand on his shoulder.

  Declan pointed down the stairs. “She just sucked me right in with that smile and those big brown eyes and that accent.”

  “Charlotte?”

  “Yes.” Declan sat down on one of the steps.

  Malcolm sat next to him, an angry look on his face. “Did she make a play for you?”

  She didn’t look at him with lust –– it was more of a combination of sympathy and sadness. “Hell no. She …she … I don’t know what she did.”

  Malcolm held up a hand. “Start from the beginning and hurry it up because I’m starving.”

  “Don’t go in the kitchen, man, or you will get sucked into her vortex of sweetness and light.”

  “Declan, dude, get on with it. You’re kind of scaring me.”

  Declan thought about their conversation. “We were talking about groupies and she looked like she felt sorry for me and the next thing I know she’s zapped me with the whammy and I’m giving her money for usable green space to stop flooding and a garden at a women’s shelter.”

  “You give money to charity all the time.”

  “Yeah but …” He rubbed his face with both hands. “She is kind of … I’m not sure, and I have no idea how to handle her.”

  Malcolm looked confused. “She’s a girl. Break out your sexy and call it a day.”

  As if that said it all. “I’m jealous.” He couldn’t believe those two words just came out of his mouth. He wanted to snatch them back, but he couldn’t. He was Declan Shaw. He wasn’t supposed to be jealous of any man. They were supposed to want to be him.